May 7, 2007, Herald Journal

Motherhood is forever

By PAM FIECKE

One day a young mother asked as she set her foot on the path of life with her newborn baby, “Is motherhood a long process in life for us?”

The great mother replied, “Yes, the way is challenging, tiresome, and rewarding. You will be old like me before you reach the end of it, but when you reach the end, you will discover that the end will be better than the beginning.”

The young mother could hardly believe that anything could be much better. She viewed other mothers with their children and they were filled with joy and happiness.

The mother cried, “Nothing will ever be lovelier or more precious than this.”

One night, while walking with her children, a storm surrounded them and the path they were on was dark.

The children shook with fear and cold. The mother drew them close to her side and covered them with her jacket. One child said, “Mother we are not afraid any longer, for you are here to protect us and keep us warm.”

The next morning came, and the children were excited and filled with energy. One of the children looked out the window and asked, “That hill over there, can we climb it today to see if we can make it to the top?”

The mother recognized excitement and challenge within her child and replied, “Yes, let’s all get ready and climb it together.”

While they climbed, their shoes would slip on the sandy areas, their clothes became dirty, and in time, the children became exhausted and tired. The mother, still encouraging her children, would say to them, “With a little strength, we will make it to the top.” The children sighed and continued climbing.

When they reached the top, they said, “Mother we would not have made it to the top without your determination.”

That night, when the mother laid down, she looked up at the stars and said, “Even though I’m tired, this was a better day than yesterday. As, yesterday I gave my children courage, today I gave them strength.”

The next day came, strange clouds spun in circles and resembled hate and evil, and darkened the earth.

The children had sad faces as their mother said, “Look up. Lift your eyes to the light.” The children did as their mother requested and saw above the clouds an everlasting glory that guided them beyond the darkness. There was a ray of light.

A smile came to their faces. That night, the mother said, “This is the best day of all, for I have shown my children God.”

The days, weeks, months, and years went by and the mother grew old. She was little, frail, and bent over.

She slowly shuffled her feet to make her way in life. The mother said to her children, “I have reached the end of my journey. I have been shown in life, that the end is better than the beginning, for my children can walk alone with courage, strength, and with trust and belief in God.”

The children all respectfully spoke, “Mother, you will be a whisper of leaves as we walk down the street. You will be that soft touch on our brow when we become ill. We will think of you when we laugh. Every teardrop will be crystallized by the thought of you.

“Mother, our first home was inside of you, where each of us hid and were sheltered, before we were born into the world. You were our first love and now, you will be our first heartbreak.”

The mother said to her children, “I have one last thing I want to teach you before I leave this earth. There is nothing that can separate a child from their mother; not time; not space; not even death. The internal side of us proves this over and over again, that mothers do not die, because they live in the hearts of their children.”